The William Smith College volleyball team completed a reverse sweep of Clarkson this afternoon, taking a 3-2 conference win over the Golden Knights in Bristol Gymnasium after dropping the first two sets. The Herons move to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the conference, while the Golden Knights fall to 9-7 and suffer their first loss in Liberty League play (4-1).
Leading the way for the Herons in the five-set thriller was sophomore Malya Sayre with 19 kills, hitting .175 in the match. She recorded 11 digs as well for her third double-double of the season. With her eighth kill of the match, Sayre surpassed the 500 career kill mark for William Smith, being the first Heron in program history to achieve the accomplishment.
Sophomore Jaylynn McCarthy chipped in 13 kills, hitting .132 on the afternoon. She added nine digs, and two aces in the five-set victory.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- Clarkson came out firing in set one, putting down 12 kills compared to William Smith’s nine. The Golden Knights hit an impressive .216 to grab a 25-16 win in the opening set.
- The Golden Knights continued their momentum into set two, grabbing a demanding 25-11 win to extend their lead to 2-0. The Herons posted 12 attack errors in the set as a team.
- William Smith responded well in the must-win third set, hitting .250 as a team with 12 kills. Sayre led the Herons with four kills as William Smith grabbed a dramatic 26-24 win over the Golden Knights.
- The Herons flipped the script in set four, grabbing the early momentum from Clarkson. Sophomore Kenyce Johnson went on a strong service run to force a Golden Knight timeout. McCarthy and Sayre each recorded five kills in the set as William Smith finished on top 25-22 to force a fifth set.
- The Heron offense came out firing in the final set, putting down 12 kills compared to the Golden Knights seven. Sayre led William Smith with eight kills in the fifth set as the Herons completed a dramatic reverse sweep of Clarkson.
MATCH STATS:
- Sayre led the Herons with 19 kills (.175), followed by McCarthy with 13 (.132). Sophomore Marin Montagne chipped in seven.
- Junior setter Elaina Wamhoff recorded 41 assists, 12 digs, four blocks, four kills (.333) and two service aces in the win.
- The Heron defense matched a tough Clarkson offense and recorded 71 digs as a team. Montagne led William Smith with 13, while Wamhoff and first-year Maysie Malinaric chipped in 12 each. Sayre added 11 digs in the victory.
- The Herons played strong at the net, recording 12 blocks in the contest. Wamhoff led the team with four blocks while first-years Maren Hunt and Lindsay Umlauf each chipped in three.
COACHES CORNER:
“Today was a huge character win!” said Head Coach Derryk Williams. “We struggled in the first two sets and instead of backing down, we fought back. The team did a great job with being resilient and I am so proud of them for that. Having 12 kills with one error in the fifth set is absolutely amazing. It was a great bounce back this week and we look forward to our next game against St. Lawrence.”
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday Oct. 11, when it welcomes St. Lawrence to Geneva for a Liberty League showdown. First serve between the Herons and the Saints is set for 7:30 p.m. in Bristol Gymnasium.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].